96



Mr. H. E. Attewell,



and by another as coral-red ; that the feet should be called by

one man rosy-crimson, by another purple, by a third purplish

red, and by a fourth heliotrope; that the same iris should be

described variously as crimson, red, brown, and hazel ; or the

same orbital ring as crimson, lake-red, dark-red, and plum-

coloured, though perhaps this last might be possible.


Therefore, as I said before, there seems here to be evidence

that C. macrurus possesses certain local races differing in the

colouring of the soft parts, and it is quite possible that other

characters may be discovered by which they may hereafter be

distinguished, if a sufficient number of specimens from all parts

of the range can be compared. I think it quite likely that the

size of the beak may vary in the races, as it does in the species;

but it must be borne in mind that this difference occurs also

between the sexes.



THE ‘MOSQUITO HAWK’ OR JAMAICA

‘ GIVE-ME-ME-BIT.’ *


By H. E. Attewell.


From a bird’s point of view the honour must be a very

doubtful one. At any rate, the bird under discussion is no can¬

didate for the honour even the most exalted cagedom can confer.

Because of its complete unsuitability for confinement of any

kind I fear the Magazine readers’ interest in my subject will

•consequently be small. My notes have the merit of freshness,

however, of being quite recently made, therefore I pass them on.


The ‘ Give-me-me-bit ’ does not stop to explain what ‘ bit ’

it is demanding. I take it to be a matter of fourpence half-penny !

The old fold in Jamaica will tell you that, say eighty years ago,

when Spanish silver was current here and larger coins more

plentiful than small, these bigger ones were cut with shears and

the pieces called ‘ bits.’ Though no longer seen nor current,

reckonings, particularly amongst the country folk, still include

the ‘ bit.’


To describe the bird would be but to repeat what any good



* The Cuban Nightjar Chonieiles virginiauus minor; inhabiting Southern Florida, Cuba


and Jamaica.—Eu.



